My Last Real Race Was At The

I Want To Be A Positive Role Model, Especially For Kids And Aboriginal People... When People See Me, Often All They See Is Another Australian Athlete Having A Go. It Isn't Until They See The Full Cathy Freeman Picture That They Realise How Proud I Am Of My Ancestry And Heritage. I'd Like A Little More Tolerance And Acceptance Of My Culture And All The Differing Cultures That Make Up Australia.

I Felt So Full Of Gratitude And Humility That I Clasped My Hands In Front Of Me, Closed My Eyes And Said A Silent Prayer Of Thanks To God... I Had At Last Achieved Something I'd Wanted For So Long... My Insides Bubbled With Happiness. It Was A Dream Come True.

I Decided That I Was Going To Go To The Olympics To See If I Had Made The Right Decision To Retire Because I Knew That If I'd Made The Mistake Of Retiring I Would Know During And After Those Games In Athens.

I Feel Like I've Reached An Age Where I Can Relax A Little Bit With The Knowledge Of What I've Been Through, Take All That Experience And Use It. I Love The Challenge Of Trying To Get Back To Where I've Been, And Beyond It.

My Feelings Tried To Control Me On My Run. I Had To Concentrate Fully On Forthcoming Running And Success. I Wanted To Triumph.